The present invention relates to a machine and method for effecting whole poultry carcass transverse halving into forward and rearward bilateral carcass sections as a pre-processing operation step to facilitate subsequent processing respectively of the forward and rearward sections by other processing operations at other locations. An example of the pre-processing transverse halving cut method to provide forward and rearward bilateral poultry carcass sections for subsequent separate forward and rearward bilateral carcass section rotary blade cutting reduction into various other cut poultry piece components is as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,675,272 to Schacht dated July 11, 1972, and shown in FIG. 4 thereof, wherein a rotating blade means is employed to accomplish the transverse forward and rearward sectioning of a whole poultry carcass as above-described. Another apparatus which utilizes transverse cut poultry carcass sections as the infeed thereto is that dual-line machine as taught by Hawk et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,335 dated Dec. 22, 1981, which is adapted to receive, segregate, and process on one line or the other thereof either forward or rearward bilateral carcass sections and respectively reduce the same into various cut poultry piece components. It is the machine and method of instant invention which provides the pre-processed transverse halved bilateral carcass section infeed material to machines such as that taught by Hawk et al cited supra.
In considering the invention hereof as briefly described above, and as hereinafter more fully detailed, it is to be understood that the term poultry carcass is used in the generic context to mean eviscerated fowl generally, including but not necessarily limited to old and young chickens, small and large turkeys, ducks, geese, and guineas.
The apparatus disclosed by Thomas et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,901 dated Feb. 24, 1981, teaches a carousel machine provided with a sprocket wheel drive take-off from an overhead shackle conveyor drive chain which is somewhat similar to the machine of instant invention, however, the processing method thereof is distinguishable in that the succession of invertably suspended whole poultry carcasses are respectively engaged by one of a plurality of supporting means for cam operated clamping of the carcass and thereafter lateral severing of the breast and splitting of the breast bone by pivotal cam operated blade means.
Other apparatus of pertinent bearing with respect to the structure, function, and method of instant invention would include those Patents respectively of Taylor and Strandine et al, wherein the Taylor teaching as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,781,945 dated Jan. 1, 1974, discloses the combined employment of an overhead shackle conveyor from which a succession of poultry carcasses are invertably suspended for delivery to a co-acting conical screw conveyor for engagement of the necks thereof for positioning and delivery to a subsequent work station for accomplishing crop extraction. The Strandline et al teaching of U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,125 dated Nov. 11, 1975, also discloses the combined employment of an overhead shackle conveyor from which poultry carcasses are invertably suspended for delivery to and engagement by a spaced set of co-acting conical screw conveyors which engage the poultry carcass neck and direct the head to rotating blade engagement means.
It should be understood that some of the features of the instant invention have, in some respects, certain structural and functional similarities to teachings separately set forth in the prior art disclosures heretofor cited and briefly discussed. However, as will hereinafter be pointed out, the instant invention is distinguishable from said earlier inventions in one or more ways in that the present invention has utility features and new and useful advantages, applications, and improvements in the art of apparatus and method for the transverse halving of poultry carcasses not heretofore known.